ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1 Person Tent

Backpacking tents are almost always more demanding than a conventional tent. This is for several reasons, ranging from a need for a lighter tent, to the need to provide increased resistance to the elements.

More often than not, a backpacking ﻿﻿tent is made for one occupant, helping you save on space and weight in your pack. These tents tend to be no-frills in their nature, providing you with the bare minimum of some form of roof over your head.

The characteristics many look for in a backpacking tent are quite simple: easy to set up, lightweight, waterproof, and able to compact to a small size.

ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1 Person Tent largely succeeds on all accounts, with just a few minor missteps. While the low price tag might be enough to draw you in, the level of performance this tent provides will will be enough to seal the deal.

Features & Benefits

Free-Standing, Two-Pole Setup

This tent is about as simple as they come, with a quick and easy setup that comes from using just two intersecting aluminum poles. The result is a free-standing polyester tent with plenty of headroom for the average-sized person, with plenty of sturdiness as well.

Weatherproof Rainfly

The tent includes a durable, heavy duty rainfly that has some added adjustability, giving you the option to position it according to wind gusts. That’s pretty helpful in bad conditions, and can also help keep the tent warmer. The fly extends nearly all the way to the ground for optimal coverage.

Sealed Seams

Weatherproofing is a big theme with this tent, and that theme is driven home even more thanks to the sealed seams inside the tent. This locks out water and moisture, and compliments the poly-taffeta floor rather nicely. Don’t expect to be anything but dry with this tent.

Unique Advantages

Large Vestibules

Many backpacking tents tend to forgo the idea of actually being able to store some of your favorite items inside. This tent features large vestibules that can hold a good amount of your gear while staying inside, helping to avoid leaving some gear out in the open after unpacking for the night.

Half Mesh Walls

Ventilation is always a good thing for many tents, unless you are using an actual mountaineering tent (which this one is clearly not, despite the name.) This tent has half-mesh wallsall around, which can work in conjunction with the rainfly to keep you dry while letting the tent breathe.

Potential Disadvantages

A Bit on The Heavy Side

The ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1 Person Tent weighs in at around 4 lbs, which is almost double what many light and ultralight backpacking tents weigh. This in spite of the fact that it’s just a one-person tent. That’s a bit puzzling.

Crammed With Vestibule Deployed

The vestibule an be a very convenient feature, but don’t expect to have a lot of room in the tent once it’s deployed. Unpacking inside may drive you a little crazy at first, but there are ways around it.

Conclusion

Despite some of the smaller issues the ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1 Person Tent provides, it’s still a great values for being around $80. The overall size makes it easy to pitch in rugged areas with little room, and the weatherproofing aspects will certainly come in handy.

Our Rating

Sure, it’s a little crammed and heavy, but the ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1 Person Tent has too much going for it for that to be a deal breaker in any way. If you’re on a budget but need a quality one-person tent, give this one a long look.